章 224: The Death of Kozuki Oden
At this moment, Kenshin appears to have matured significantly.
Previously, when he was up in the clouds, Kenshin's face still retained a hint of innocence and youthfulness. Although there was some shadow, it was nowhere near as daunting as he appears now.
Kenshin truly resembles an adult now. His expression is solemn, with a touch of menace on his face, and within that menace...
There seems to be a trace of guilt?
It appears that he has come to understand the repercussions of his actions after slaying Kozuki Oden for the country.
Roger let out a sigh.
The country of Wano fell into ruin under the reign of Kozuki Oden, but Kenshin's act of killing Kozuki Oden also played a significant role in the chain of events.
At the time, while he remained suspended in the sky, he couldn't comprehend the situation. However, upon leaving the clouds and experiencing everything firsthand in the mortal realm, he naturally comprehended the sheer brutality of it all.
Hence, there's more than just pure bloodlust in his eyes.
Perhaps, this was also a factor in why Hiko didn't want Kenshin to descend?
"The calamity of demonic disaster starts from the heart of the sword, then..."
Himura Kenshin's gaze blazes like a torch, erupting with an astonishing killing intent in an instant, directly fixating on Kozuki Oden.
With one hand gripping the blade at his waist, his voice isn't loud but resonates with conviction!
"Let Kenshin bring it to an end!"
Makima recedes, hands clasped behind her back.
Upon witnessing this, Roger sighs and takes a step back.
Joining the retreat are those who were drawn by Oden's anguished cries earlier—An, Thor, Yuri, and other members of the Roger Pirates.
At this moment, they no longer need to assail the dark shield, for after Makima extracted Oden's heart, his power waned, and so did the barrier.
Those who survived within have emerged unscathed.
However...
Their numbers are scant, and nearly all are wounded. Even Kaido bears some injuries, though his monstrous physique undoubtedly makes him the least afflicted among those in Flower Capital.
Kaido's countenance is shrouded in gloom as he too fixes his gaze on Kozuki Oden amidst the throng.
Beside him, a few others have fortuitously escaped being incinerated by the flames. Though marked by burns, they yet draw breath.
Presently, it seems the denizens outside the city and within stand united, enclosing the duo in a vast battleground.
One stands ready to strike—Kenshin.
The other, having swiftly recovered after the extraction of his heart, is Kozuki Oden.
"Hehehehahahahahahaha..."
In this world of turmoil, Kozuki Oden gradually succumbs to laughter, as if the agony wracking his body finds respite in mirth.
He rises from the ground, his form unsteady yet swiftly stabilizing.
"Himura Kenshin...!" Kozuki Oden's visage contorts, resembling a malevolent specter, his eyes brimming with malice, his twisted countenance a testament to boundless enmity.
This animosity isn't solely directed at Himura Kenshin but at all.
"Very well, very well! I shall slay you first!"
Kozuki Oden growls at Kenshin, "All of this began with you. Your actions led to my demise, and now, the denouement entails my vengeance upon you!"
Tightening his grip on his twin blades, Ten'yu Yu Zhan and Yan Mo gleam with frosty luminescence.
Roger discerns that Kozuki Oden's prowess presently pales in comparison to former times, owing to Machima's suppression of his dark power.
Yet, despite this, the transformation wrought by the dark still endures.
Thus, Kozuki Oden now stands much stronger than during his initial clash with Himura Kenshin!
Moreover, in the interim, he has mastered the use of Conqueror's Haki, a substantial augmentation to his abilities.
Though bereft of the full extent of his dark might, he remains among the foremost titans of the sea!
Despite the formidable augmentation of their adversary, Himura Kenshin evinces no hint of trepidation.
Encompassed by allies, he gazes unwaveringly at Kozuki Oden, sword in hand.
A similar resolve animates Kozuki Oden. The two lock eyes, each seemingly poised to exploit the other's lapse.
A peculiar tension suffuses the space between them.
Time ebbs away...
Himura Kenshin yet holds his stance, while Kozuki Oden's patience wanes.
His heart, tainted by darkness, seethes with impatience, compelling him to act.
"Oden Dark Two-Sword Style: Togen Ten Fists!"
In an instant, Kozuki Oden moves like lightning!
Boom!
His astonishing velocity raises a maelstrom of waves, and the very air convulses in his wake, unleashing a tempest of sparks!
Simultaneously, Himura Kenshin springs into action!
His hand instinctively draws his blade. If Oden embodies lightning, then Kenshin is the luminous flash that cleaves through the storm!
Puff!
Blade unsheathed, a strike unleashed!
The quintessence of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu isn't in its array of techniques but in its fluidity of motion and swift draw. This is its essence, the trait that earned Kenshin the moniker "Battosai the Manslayer"!
Merely the sight of this strike is sufficient to dispatch the enemy, precluding any glimpse of the myriad permutations of technique following the unsheathing. And likewise, before Oden, this stroke presents a similarly insurmountable obstacle.
In an instant imperceptible to onlookers, Kenshin and Oden intersect.
Kenshin's blade is unsheathed in a deft motion, met in kind by Oden's swift stroke. Both maintain their drawn positions.
...
Silence prevails, a tranquility peculiar to the aftermath of the draw.
It's as if time itself has been severed.
"Cursed..."
After what feels like an eternity—yet transpires in the span of a heartbeat—Kozuki Oden intones, "..."
Puff!
A monumental gash materializes across his chest!
Grotesque and sprawling, it twists like a monstrous serpent, spewing forth a geyser of blood that ascends to dizzying heights!
The crimson deluge, a cascade in reverse, bespeaks Oden's anguish as he clutches his blade, teeth gnashing.
"I cannot accept..."
His defiance rings hollow against the harsh reality.
And thus, he crumples, his form collapsing to the earth, staining the ground scarlet.
Himura Kenshin murmurs softly, "You ought to resent yourself for chasing an unattainable goal."
Puff!
As the words dissipate, a wound manifests upon his countenance.
This injury, in juxtaposition to the scar borne from their initial confrontation, converges with it, forming a 'cross-scar'...
The outcome mirrors their first encounter.
Himura Kenshin...
Triumphs!
クリエイターの想い 
nyawdao3
nyawdao3 Please give this novel 5 stars review and power stone ;)
Read a few chapters ahead on readfanfic.com
Read up to 30 chapters ahead on p atreon.
https://www.p atreon.com/OnePieceNineTails
Our community on discord: discord. gg /t66agbE
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット